Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-07
High Licensc,


ilGnTlSlL1 enterprise.
There has been bill introduced ia the
state Legislature to tax all saloons for
state purposes the sum of $1,000 per year,
allowing counties and Incorporated cities
| to tax to the amount Of $500 each, thus
making total tax of $1,000. This meas
Ure We regard IS the very best that has
yet been attempted to be passed. AT the
same time it is being antagoniZed by the
most ultra of the Prohibitionists in the
| hope of defeating this needed reform.
The editor has been working for prohibi-
/ ton Tor years, and therefore we have
watched the matter closely aud write from
direct observation.
| In every county in Texas where pro-
hlbition has been tried it has lessened
| the amount OF drunkenness ard less
| liquor has been sold in the saloons run in
violation of law. At the same time there
has been efforts made to enforce the law,
but through some means or other prose
Cutions amount to nothing, and saloons
are run only on more quiet and orderly
manner under prohibition law than
under the existing license system.
/ In Clay county the execution of the law
! is farce for various reasons, some of
which are, perjury on the part of wit
nesses, failure of lrrors TO deal justice
out to offenders, sympathy of large
percentage of citizens with the whisky
traffic, and connivance OF officials
to defeat the law. An offcia
cannot step up to the bar and take a drink
of "cider," knowing at the same time that
it is whisky, smack his lips and be g
faithful officer at the same time. Then
the United States government connives at
crime by the system Of laws now in force.
When county, precinct or city by ma
iOrity vote says no licenses shall be issued
to sell liquors, then the federal government
steps in and issues permit to sell in the
face of the ma ority, and Just so long as
the government licenses the sale of whis-
ky in prohibition districts so long will it
be sold. Law-breakers of all kinds defy
state courts but the Federal court is a
terror to them. After carefully viewing
over the entire matter we are convinced
that for the next four years a high
| license system is the best thing that
can be given. While we regard the
saloon as direct curse we think that it
| is best to control the pest houses by law
and force them to bear part of the in
creased taxation caused by the making of
drunkards and paupers. Under high
| license law HeDriette 80 Md have about
two saloons, paying $4,000 per year.. AS
| the case now stands, we have five saloons
running in full blast with none TO modest
or make them afraid. # prohibition can
| be carried over the state, then perhaps q
good work will be done, but just so long
as Uncle Sam says: give you permission
to sell, or until it is made felony pun
i-hahle 10y penitentiary sentence to deal
in liquor will the drug be sold.
! Our loelief is that the bestthiag to be
done in the premises is: Let the present
law stand and make the penalty to be a
fine of not less than $500 zone half to go
10 the informer upon conviction and q
penitentiary sentence besides Tor all
places where majority is in favor of
prohibition, and high license law for
those in favor of free whisky. DR.. Gran
/ fIl's idea of forming great Prohibition
party in Texas will end in moonshine, for
no party can ever De formed On one plank.
Give Us high license, in fact, anything
I that will make our laws to be held sacred,
/ instead of being, es they are in this case,
q farce snd reprOach- we are in favor
of entire prohibition, but see the neces-
] sity of educating the masses before the
! proposed amendment is submitted, for II
it should pass, with the present sur
rounding sentiment, it would only be
farce on o more gigantic scale than is
now being enacted in Clay county.